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MnDOT transportation crews are working around the clock right now to clear away the season’s first big snowfall and keep their fellow Minnesotans safe on the roads.
Up in northern Minnesota, drivers with Local 695 are taking shifts plowing away snow and ice for 12 hours at a time.
Robert Dahl Jr. is normally part of the bridge crew, driving the “snooper” truck that allows inspectors to see the undersides of bridges. But like many MnDOT employees, who do everything from road design to construction, he pulled a 12-hour shift as a snowplow driver today. Dahl plowed an area of Duluth known as the “Can of Worms” for its twisting path of highways and ramps.
“I actually like plowing,” Dahl said. “I like being out when it’s nasty outside and making the roads clear for people.”
Worker Shawn Lewis had just finished up his 12-hour plowing shift too. He said he saw cars spun out in the ditch.
“It gets hairy,” he said. “Traffic backs up. It’s frustrating sometimes.”
Yet Lewis was excited for the first snowfall this winter: “I’m a little pumped up about it,” he said. “We’ve been gearing up for it. I feel like I’m doing a good job, helping the public, so I’m satisfied with myself.”
To stay awake and keep alert working in snowy, icy, often dangerous conditions, Lewis said the key is to rest up beforehand. Others turned to big Thermos bottles full of coffee. Dahl said they all get used to it, but they never want to become complacent.
As the shift changed and the next crew prepared to start, one of the workers drove out in a truck with a flashing sign to warn drivers “Signal out, prepare to stop.”
Bob Hennis stayed busy behind the scenes, keeping things running smoothly. He gathered road conditions from snowplow drivers and phoned them in for the popular “511” Minnesota Travel Information Service, took care of paperwork and got trucks fixed as they broke down.
Looking around the truck garage, Lewis said, “It feels good knowing you’re not out there alone. You get backup. We work as a team.”
This article is reprinted from the website of AFSCME Council 5.